Bioregionalism in the heartland: exploring broad-scale, bioregional dynamics of place and landscapes in the western Great Lakes

How can researchers and practitioners meaningfully engage the public in matters of environmental stewardship and landscape conservation? Traditional approaches to answering this question have erroneously relied upon the assumption that the simple combination of knowledge and awareness of environmental challenges will motivate desirable behavior changes. Alternatively, my work builds on a growing body of research that suggests that people's place-based values, beliefs, and identities constitute components of how people interact with and treat their surrounding landscapes. In this dissertation, I present results from an empirical study in northeastern Wisconsin that respectively examines (1) how individuals' sense of place informs their water- and landscape-conservation activities; and (2) how participatory mapping can engage the public in learning about and encountering bioregional landscapes. I close by suggesting how these research approaches and findings could inform outreach and education efforts associated with ongoing environmental initiatives in the upper Midwest and beyond.